Facile synthesis of highly macroporous Gum Arabic hydrophilic cryogel for dyes adsorption

Abstract

Porous materials are promising candidates for the removal of organic pollutants from different water bodies. Among porous materials, cryogels are more attractive candidates due to their macro-porosity and rapid adsorption. This work evaluated the fabrication and adsorption capability of macro-porous Gum Arabic-based Cryogel. The fabricated Gum Arabic cryogel was modified and protonated to the protonated modified Gum Arabic Cryogel to compare its adsorption capacities for three different dyes. The successful fabrication of cryogel was confirmed by Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy, Differential Scanning Calorimetry, Thermal gravimetric analysis and Scanning Electron Microscopy. The protonated modified Gum Arabic Cryogel showed enhanced adsorption capability towards subjected dyes by following second-order rate kinetics. These cryogels can be employed as an efficient adsorbent to remove toxic contaminants from wastewater effluents.